Which NFL teams will pick a QB in the 2016 NFL draft? – ABC News
NFL teams run the gamut when it comes to their needs at quarterback. NFL Nation reporters predict which teams will select a signal-caller, which teams are standing pat and which teams should possibly re-consider their strategy.
Teams expected to draft a QB | Teams that are set at QB
Atlanta Falcons: The Falcons probably will draft a developmental quarterback who could possibly be groomed into a backup. They signed veteran Matt Schaub, but coach Dan Quinn made clear Schaub would compete for the backup role. It might be time to move on from Sean Renfree, last season’s backup. — Vaughn McClure
Buffalo Bills: The Bills will draft a quarterback for several reasons. First, they aren’t sure if Tyrod Taylor is the long-term answer. Second, neither Taylor nor EJ Manuel are under contract for 2017. Third, the Bills only have Taylor and Manuel on their current roster, and general manager Doug Whaley has said he wants to add another quarterback. Buffalo isn’t going to have a shot at Carson Wentz or Jared Goff, and the Bills aren’t likely to use their No. 19 pick on a quarterback, but they could select one from the second round through the end of the draft. They’ve been doing their homework in recent weeks on Cardale Jones, Dak Prescott and Christian Hackenberg. — Mike Rodak
Chicago Bears: The Bears are expected to address the quarterback position via the draft, although it may not be until the mid-to-late rounds. The chances of Carson Wentz or Jared Goff slipping to No. 11 seems remote, but general manager Ryan Pace believes the 2016 draft class is full of intriguing second- and third-tier quarterback prospects. Look for the Bears to use at least one of their nine draft picks on a quarterback, despite the fact Jay Cutler is basically assured the starting job in 2016. Cutler is about to turn 33 years old, and after this season, he has no guaranteed money left on his deal. The Bears have to start preparing for the future. — Jeff Dickerson
Cleveland Browns: The Browns will absolutely take a quarterback. Coach Hue Jackson has promised that much. The only question is whether it’s with the second pick (Jared Goff, Carson Wentz), 32nd (Connor Cook, Paxton Lynch) or later in the draft (Cardale Jones). — Pat McManamon
Dallas Cowboys: I think the Cowboys will draft a quarterback, but not with the fourth overall pick. The Cowboys have done extensive work on Carson Wentz, Jared Goff and Paxton Lynch and they will also bring Connor Cook, Christian Hackenberg and Jacoby Brissett to Valley Ranch for pre-draft visits. With the Cowboys putting their confidence in Tony Romo to be their starter for the next “4-5 years,” according to Jerry Jones, the financial commitment and needs elsewhere seem to push the Cowboys away from a QB in the first round. Cook, Hackenberg, Brissett and Dak Prescott are either second- or third-day prospects. They could come in as a backup early and learn under Romo for a few years. — Todd Archer
Denver Broncos: There are only two on the depth chart at the moment — Mark Sanchez and Trevor Siemian — and even if the Broncos secure Colin Kaepernick in a trade, history says John Elway will always look to take a quarterback in the draft. In his previous five drafts as the team’s top football decision-maker, Elway has taken a quarterback in three drafts, and he took Siemian in the seventh round when the team already had Peyton Manning and Brock Osweiler. The real question will be how early in the draft would he do it and would it be much earlier, on the first or second day, if the team does not land Kaepernick? — Jeff Legwold
Detroit Lions: Lions general manager Bob Quinn is on record believing teams should take a quarterback every year or two to help develop them before they would ever take a snap. The Lions have not drafted a quarterback since Matthew Stafford with the No. 1 overall pick in 2009. In other words, it’s time. Quinn likely won’t look at a high-end quarterback since Stafford is the starter and Detroit has other needs. But Quinn has indicated the Lions will look heavily at a quarterback to develop and have done research on Michigan’s Jake Rudock, Stanford’s Kevin Hogan and UMass’ Blake Frohnapfel. Others will likely come as well. — Michael Rothstein
Houston Texans: Even though the Texans emptied out their piggy bank for Brock Osweiler, giving him a four-year deal with $37 million in guarantees, they might not be finished with the position. They won’t aggressively pursue a quarterback in the draft, but if the right one falls to them in the second, third or fourth rounds, they could pull the trigger. — Tania Ganguli
Los Angeles Rams: While the Rams have cast plenty of votes of confidence in Case Keenum as the starter, he still stands as more of a short-term solution. That leaves the Rams in need of a long-term answer at the position. The expectation is that they’ll draft a quarterback early, as in the first three rounds, but the question is how early? We can’t rule out the possibility of a smaller trade up to get one of the draft’s top two quarterbacks or even landing Memphis’ Paxton Lynch at No. 15. If the value doesn’t match there, the Rams have two picks in the second round (Nos. 43 and 45). That would seem a logical spot to land someone such as Michigan State’s Connor Cook or Penn State’s Christian Hackenberg, both of whom the Rams have done legwork on. — Nick Wagoner
New England Patriots: Yes, but it likely wouldn’t come until the back end of the draft (the team has five sixth-round picks and two seventh-rounders). The Patriots will be looking for a No. 3 quarterback at some point this offseason, and the draft is the most economical place to find one, assuming there’s a fit. Not to mention, it’s good business to draft and develop quarterbacks, even if a draft pick lands on the practice squad to open the season. — Mike Reiss
New York Jets: There’s a good chance the Jets will draft a quarterback for the fourth straight year. They don’t have a long-term answer ( Bryce Petty is still considered a project), so it makes sense to take one if the value is there. The first round (No. 20) would be a surprise (unless they fall in love with Paxton Lynch), but they’re showing interest in Christian Hackenberg, who could be an option at No. 51. — Rich Cimini
Philadelphia Eagles: It will be surprising if the Eagles do not draft a quarterback this year. Both Eagles owner Jeff Lurie and coach Doug Pederson said the team was likely to do so. While there has been speculation the team could select one of the top quarterbacks, either with the No. 8 pick or after trading up, the Eagles’ desire to develop a young quarterback could be fulfilled with a pick later in the draft. — Phil Sheridan
San Francisco 49ers: Yes … with a caveat. If Colin Kaepernick is indeed traded to the Broncos, the Niners need to address the hole on the roster, and Cal’s Jared Goff would seemingly fit the bill. But that doesn’t mean he’d start right away. Goff might be better suited to watch behind Blaine Gabbert for a year or two, much like another Cal QB did in Green Bay — a guy by the name of Aaron Rodgers. Yes, a Cal guy the Niners passed on in 2005 in favor of Alex Smith. — Paul Gutierrez
Washington Redskins: The Redskins have only two quarterbacks on the roster in Kirk Cousins and Colt McCoy, so they need to add one or two more, if only to have more arms in training camp. That’s why if they do draft one, it likely would be late (and if not, they’ll sign one or two undrafted free agents). The Redskins are fine having only two quarterbacks on the roster, but if that’s the case, then they’d likely want one for the practice squad. Also, Cousins is unsigned for next season, so adding another quarterback in the system makes sense (if they’re concerned with him becoming too costly, it would be smarter to draft a quarterback in the middle rounds rather than late). — John Keim
Baltimore Ravens: History is certainly against it. Baltimore has selected only one quarterback ( Keith Wenning in 2014) in the past four drafts. But this could be the time the Ravens decide to invest in a developmental third quarterback, especially since backup Ryan Mallett will be a free agent at the end of the season. If Baltimore doesn’t draft a quarterback, the Ravens could pick up one as a priority free agent, such as Alabama’s Jake Coker, Indiana’s Nate Sudfeld or Michigan’s Jake Rudock. — Jamison Hensley
Carolina Panthers: The Panthers are set at the position three deep for the next two years with Cam Newton, Derek Anderson and Joe Webb. Newton is the reigning MVP and locked down through 2020, so no issues there. Anderson has been a more-than-adequate backup, going 2-0 as the starter in 2014, when Newton was injured. — David Newton
Cincinnati Bengals: The only way the Bengals would draft a quarterback at this point is if another team were to first make an overly enticing draft-day trade offer (that included a first-round pick) for AJ McCarron. At this stage, that doesn’t appear to be on the horizon. Unless wooed by a very competitive offer, the Bengals have no plans to part with the promising backup. So they have no need for picking a quarterback this year. Next April could be a different story, though. After this season, starter Andy Dalton will be under contract for four more years, while McCarron will be entering the last year on his rookie deal. — Coley Harvey
Green Bay Packers: No, but they will almost certainly sign one after the draft. Even though they lost last year’s No. 2 Scott Tolzien after he signed with the Colts in free agency, the Packers feel good about Brett Hundley as Aaron Rodgers‘ new backup. Hundley’s development last year as a rookie was a big part of the reason the Packers decided not to re-sign Tolzien. But they still need another camp arm or two. The only other quarterback on their roster is Ryan Williams, an undrafted first-year player from Miami who did not go to training camp with any team last year. — Rob Demovsky
Indianapolis Colts: No because of two words: Andrew Luck. He’s only 26 years old, he’s headed into his fifth season and he’s about to get a contract that’s expected to be worth more than $100 million. The Colts signed Scott Tolzien to back up Luck last month. — Mike Wells
Jacksonville Jaguars: One of the few positions the Jaguars don’t need help at is quarterback. Blake Bortles is coming off the best season by a quarterback in franchise history (35 TDs and 4,428 yards). The Jaguars re-signed backup Chad Henne for two years as well. The Jaguars would be better served by adding more defensive players in the late rounds than taking a developmental quarterback. — Mike DiRocco
Kansas City Chiefs: The Chiefs don’t need another developmental quarterback. They already have two in Aaron Murray and Tyler Bray. — Adam Teicher
Miami Dolphins: The Dolphins haven’t drafted a quarterback since taking Ryan Tannehill No. 8 overall in 2012, and it appears that streak will continue. The team has too many additional needs to address and already signed reliable backup quarterback Matt Moore in free agency. Miami also has a young, developmental project on its roster in Logan Thomas. — James Walker
Minnesota Vikings: The Vikings worked out Michigan’s Jake Rudock, and they could look for another young passer with 36-year-old backup Shaun Hill in the final year of his contract. But they signed Taylor Heinicke as a rookie free agent in 2015, and they could go that route to get another young QB this year, rather than spending a draft pick on a player that might be the fourth QB in the organization this year. — Ben Goessling
New Orleans Saints: It’s always possible, since Drew Brees is 37 years old and the Saints know they’ll eventually need to find a replacement. Maybe they’ll start drafting one every year at this point. But they don’t need to force it since they drafted developmental backup Garrett Grayson in Round 3 last year. And unlike 2015, when they had the luxury of nine draft picks, the Saints have only six picks this year. — Mike Triplett
New York Giants: Giants quarterback Eli Manning hasn’t missed a game since becoming the starter midway through his 2004 rookie season. Backup Ryan Nassib is in his fourth season, and the team likes him. The only year in recent memory in which the Giants carried three quarterbacks was Nassib’s rookie season of 2013, and they openly hated having to do it. If Nassib isn’t Manning’s eventual replacement, they’ll look to find that in next year’s draft or some draft to come. But this year, I don’t see them burning one of their six picks on a developmental quarterback who would eat up a roster spot. — Dan Graziano
Oakland Raiders: The Raiders have their franchise QB — finally — in Derek Carr, and a more-than-serviceable backup in restricted free agent Matt McGloin. Consider this: Since Rich Gannon last played in 2004, Kerry Collins, Marques Tuiasosopo, Aaron Brooks, Andrew Walter, Daunte Culpepper, Josh McCown, JaMarcus Russell, Bruce Gradkowski, Charlie Frye, Jason Campbell, Kyle Boller, Carson Palmer, Terrelle Pryor, Matt Leinart, Matt Flynn, Matt McGloin and Matt Schaub have all taken snaps for Oakland before Carr arrived. — Paul Gutierrez
Pittsburgh Steelers: No, but this is a soft lean, because eventually the Steelers must craft the post- Ben-Roethlisberger blueprint. Taking a developmental quarterback in the mid-to-late rounds would make sense. For now, though, the needs in other areas supplant any quarterback experiments. Backup Landry Jones is under contract for one more year, and there’s interest in re-signing veteran Bruce Gradkowski. In 2017, the Steelers might be primed to pluck a signal-caller in the second round and groom him for a few years, similar to the New England Patriots’ plan with Jimmy Garoppolo. — Jeremy Fowler
San Diego Chargers: At some point, the Chargers need to start the process of finding a developmental prospect to replace Philip Rivers, but I don’t think it starts this year. Rivers turns 35 in December and is in the second year of a five-year deal that includes $65 million in guaranteed money. He remains among the top 10 quarterbacks in the NFL. The Chargers brought back second-string quarterback Kellen Clemens on a one-year deal, and have two developmental signal-callers on the 90-man roster in Brad Sorensen and Bryn Renner. In win-now mode, the Chargers have other needs to address in this year’s draft besides securing a quarterback of the future. — Eric D. Williams
Seattle Seahawks: Russell Wilson is 27 years old and signed through the 2019 season. He has never missed a game or even a practice during his NFL career. The Seahawks need a backup, but Tarvaris Jackson is still on the market, and they’d probably be better served with a veteran over a rookie at that spot. If they see a prospect they like on Day 3 of the draft, they could take a flier, but it’s more likely they won’t select a quarterback. — Sheil Kapadia
Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Jameis Winston was the No. 1 overall pick last year and went on to become just the third rookie to throw for more than 4,000 yards. The Bucs also really like backup Mike Glennon, though they said they certainly are open to trading him. Coach Dirk Koetter says that scares him because he thinks Glennon is a starter in the league and having that kind of talent behind Winston is comforting. Even if Glennon is traded, the Bucs don’t need to add a replacement via the draft. — Mike DiRocco
Tennessee Titans: The Titans spent the second pick in the 2015 draft on Marcus Mariota, and he’s the man they are building the whole team around. They signed veteran Matt Cassel to compete with Zach Mettenberger, who’s 0-10 as a starter, for the backup job. With two young QBs, they have too many needs to spend any draft capital on a third. — Paul Kuharsky
